5 Tips To Help You Drive During Flooding Around Tampa Bay

Drive During Flooding Around Tampa Bay Severe Weather Passes Through South Florida

A driver talks on the phone while sitting in their stalled car on a flooded street.

Joe Raedle/Getty Images

You’ll want to safely drive during flooding around Tampa Bay once you get back out on the road after Tropical Storm Debby heads north of us.

The storm is expected to intensify and impact northeast Florida and then southeast Georgia on Tuesday.

If you can avoid being on the road until water levels have gone down and conditions are safer, definitely do that. But if you have to drive and find yourself on waterlogged roads, please be careful and follow this advice.

Five Tips For Staying Safe When You Have To Drive During Flooding Around Tampa Bay

1. It may be hard to gauge, but you only want to drive through water that is less than 6 inches deep. This means the puddles will only come midway up your tires.

2. If you’re driving through areas of floodwater, when you rev your engine, you will keep water out of the engine.

3. Do not stop in a flooded area of the road. If your vehicle stops moving, remember that the water is still flowing. That’s how engines get flooded.

4. Follow the driver in front of you. Do not try to overtake other vehicles. If you are following a vehicle in front of you, that car or truck will inevitably give you a better, path thereby giving you better chance to make it safely through the water. This tactic also helps with visibility.

5. Turn on your hazard lights because this will help navigate with visibility, and other drivers will be able to notice your vehicle.

Of course, drive at safe speeds and stay home if you can until it is safe to be on the roads.

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Roxanne WilderWriter

Roxanne is a co-host on the MJ Morning Show and host of Middays on Q105 in Tampa Bay. She also hosts segments on The Current, which features local feel-good stories and health and wellness segments, and airs on five of the six Tampa-based Beasley Media Group stations. Roxanne has conducted hundreds of interviews, from athletes to Oscar winners, including Matt Damon, Christian Bale, and Chadwick Boseman. She also specializes in media training, having worked with clients in the NFL, NBA and WWE for television, in print, and online. Roxanne is a published author and will be releasing a thriller novel in 2024. Her favorite thing in the world is being with her two daughters and husband. As a content creator for Q105, Roxanne writes about family activities in the Tampa Bay area, as well as reviews for local restaurants and travel.